WLAN apparatus

Abstract

A wireless local area network (WLAN) apparatus for a WLAN system includes a first medium access protocol (MAC) entity which supports a first frequency band; and a second MAC entity which supports a second frequency band, wherein a MAC management frame for the first frequency band is encapsulated in a MAC management frame for the second frequency band, and transmitted through the second frequency band.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to wireless communications, and more particularly, to a wireless local area network (WLAN) apparatus supporting a multi-band and a method using the same.BACKGROUND ART[0002]With the recent development of information communication technology, a variety of wireless communication technology has been developed. A WLAN is the technology permitting wireless access to Internet in home or companies or specific service areas by the use of portable terminals such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, and a portable multimedia player (PMP) on the basis of a radio frequency technology.[0003]The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802 which is a standardization of the WLAN technology established in February, 1980 has carried out much standardization work. In the initial WLAN technology, a data rate of 1 to 2 Mbps was supported by the use of frequency hopping, spread spectrum, and infrared communication us...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0023]In a WLAN system, it is possible to extend service coverage of a basic service set (BSS) using a band of 60 GHz. Further, non-AP STAs located near to one another form an independent BSS (IBSS) so that they can communicate using a band of 60 GHz to thereby achieve a high throughput, and communicate with a relatively distant AP VHT STA using a band of 6 GHz through a millimeter (mm) portal to thereby interwork with an external network.

Problems solved by technology

However, it is disadvantageous that IEEE 802.11a has a shorter communication distance than IEEE 802.11b.

However, an IEEE 802.11n medium access control (MAC) / physical layer (PHY) protocol is not effective in providing a throughput of 1 Gbps or more.

In conclusion, there is a limit to improvement in the throughput of the wireless communication network while keeping the existing IEEE 802.11n MAC / PHY protocol having the single STA architecture, intact.

The channel or less then 6 GHz shows relatively broad service coverage, but has a disadvantage that an available channel bandwidth is small.

However, since the non-AP VHT STA has only a single-radio interface, it cannot support both the channel of less than 6 GHz and the channel of 60 GHz.

Thus, if the non-AP VHT STA is located outside the VHT60 coverage, it is difficult to achieve the high throughput since the non-AP VHT STA cannot use the channel band of 60 GHz in communicating with the AP VHT STA.

This causes the AP VHT STAs to inevitably use the channel band of less than 6 GHz even though the non-AP VHT STAs are located within the VHTL6 coverage and capable of communicating with each other through the channel band of 60 GHz in the ad-hoc mode, thereby lowering the efficiency of the overlay WLAN in the VHT WLAN system.

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